Short answer: the Shure SE215. Both are rated 3.1/5 for sound quality (#961 and #978 of 1291 in-ear headphones), and the Shure SE215 costs $94 against $109 for the Kiwi Ears Quartet, and with sound quality even, the cheaper one is the better buy.
What the Kiwi Ears Quartet does well: Bass is thick and punchy, sitting about 3.7 dB above target from 60 to 250 Hz with extension to 20 Hz, and tuning switches let you dial the low end up or down. The catch: The midbass lift makes some tracks sound boomy, presence dips about 4.3 dB with a 6.6 dB hole near 4.4 kHz, and a 6.3 dB treble peak near 8.2 kHz can sound splashy.
What the Shure SE215 does well: Bass from 60 to 200 Hz is lifted by about 4.2 dB with low mids up 2.2 dB, giving a warm, full sound that suits rock, pop and hip hop. The catch: Treble from 6 to 10 kHz is about 3 dB low with a 5.9 dB dip near 6.7 kHz, and the top octave is down 2.7 dB, so cymbals and air sound dull.
Buy the Shure SE215. Both are rated the same for sound quality, and it costs $15 less than the Kiwi Ears Quartet.
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Bass is thick and punchy, sitting about 3.7 dB above target from 60 to 250 Hz with extension to 20 Hz, and tuning switches let you dial the low end up or down.
Amazon $109.00 eBay
Bass from 60 to 200 Hz is lifted by about 4.2 dB with low mids up 2.2 dB, giving a warm, full sound that suits rock, pop and hip hop.
Amazon $94.00 eBayPrices on this page were last checked October 16, 2026 at 5:46 PM UTC. Product prices and availability are accurate as of that date/time and are subject to change; the price and availability shown on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
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Specifications Side By Side
| Kiwi Ears Quartet | Shure SE215 | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $109.00 | $94.00 |
| Ranked | #978 of 1291 in In-Ear Headphones | #961 of 1291 in In-Ear Headphones |
| Form Factor | In-ear | In-ear |
| Back | Closed | Closed |
| Connection | Wired | Wired |
| Driver Type | Hybrid | Dynamic |
| Drivers | 2 x 10mm dynamic + 2 x balanced armature | 1 x dynamic |
| Impedance | 32 ohms | 17 ohms |
| Sensitivity | 110 dB/mW | 107 dB SPL/mW |
| Frequency Response | 20Hz - 20kHz (Manufacturer specified) | 22Hz - 17.5kHz (Manufacturer specified) |
| Harman Preference Score | 62 (median of 29 squig.link measurements, calibrated to AutoEQ) | 63 (measured by oratory1990, via AutoEQ) |
| Deviation From Target | 2.78 dB standard deviation | 2.78 dB standard deviation |
| Tonal Tilt | -0.75 (negative is warmer, positive brighter) | -0.78 (negative is warmer, positive brighter) |
| Sub-bass Extension | Within 6 dB of target down to 20 Hz (-0.4 dB at 30 Hz) | Within 6 dB of target down to 20 Hz (-1.0 dB at 30 Hz) |
Frequency Response Compared
Both headphones’ measurements overlaid on the Harman target. Above the target sounds louder in that range, below it quieter. Each curve is the median of several independent measurements, shifted so its 500 Hz to 2 kHz average sits at 0 dB, so only the tuning is compared.
Measurement data: the Kiwi Ears Quartet from achoreviews, aden, adri-n, ankramutt, arc, atechreviews, audioamigo, bakkwatan, bassyalexander, bloomaudio, dentreviews, flare, hadoe, hbb, hobbytalk, joshtbvo, listener, mmagtech, musicafe, nymz, obodio, practiphile, precog, soundcheck39, superreview, suporsalad, tdl, therollo9 and tonedeafmonk; the Shure SE215 from aden, ducbloke, ekaudio, superreview, suporsalad and yoshiultra, all via squig.link.
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